Houston vs Lubbock leftover
Moving to Lubbock costs you $561 a month
$2,599/mo leftover in Lubbock vs $3,160 in Houston after tax and rent ($561 less). −$6,732 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Houston leftover
$3,160
a month after tax and rent
Lubbock leftover
$2,599
−$561 vs Houston
Compare Houston to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Houston.
Monthly gap
Houston → Lubbock
$561
less / month in Houston
$2,599 in Lubbock · $3,160 in Houston · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 278 households moved Houston → Lubbock (avg AGI $57,601). 333 went the other way. The whole move →
−$561 / mo
| Per month | Houston | Lubbock | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,958 | $6,531 | −$1,428 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,661 | $1,237 | −$423 |
| Take-home pay | $6,298 | $5,293 | −$1,004 |
| Rent | $1,188 | $817 | −$371 |
| Getting around | $572 | $561 | −$11 |
| Groceries | $380 | $363 | −$17 |
| Healthcare | $428 | $408 | −$20 |
| Utilities | $238 | $227 | −$11 |
| Everything else | $333 | $317 | −$16 |
| Left over | $3,160 | $2,599 | −$561 |
To break even in Lubbock, you'd need to earn
$88,000
Household gross, versus $95,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Houston does now.
The tax difference alone
$0
A year, in state and local income tax. Texas has no wage income tax.
More about Lubbock
Houston, TX in full
The cheapest housing of any top-10 metro, paid for in property tax and humidity.
Lubbock, TX in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $973 and 262 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Lubbock on Lubbock wages.
Lubbock → Houston →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Lubbock than Houston?
A one-bedroom is about $1,188 in Houston versus $817 in Lubbock. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $561 a month lower in Lubbock. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Lubbock have state income tax?
Lubbock is in Texas, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Houston to Lubbock?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Texas tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Houston and Lubbock moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.